Matters of the Heart
by caughtforCarlisle
Summary: Rosalie destroys something that belongs to Esme. Esme has grown tired of her stubborn behavior, and teaches her a lesson on respecting others? If you don't like disclipline/spanking, don't read this story.


A/N: Here is a one-shot that I promised one of my very faithful and loyal followers that I would do for her. She is a die-hard Esme as kick-ass Mom fan! I hope she is grateful that I have now officially stayed up to 3:30 am writing this for her. Okay…Okay it took longer than an hour to write! LOL to her...If corporal punishment is not your thing, you know what to do. I own nothing but the errors and the whipping. My beta is going to choke me for publishing this without letting her proof it first. I'm SURE she will find many, many glitches in this piece, so I will be making changes later (this WAS done on the spur of the moment). Hope you enjoy! This one's for you Twilight!

Add'l Authors Note: Please understand that this story is NOT linked to my other two. I like to link my stories together to show a continuum of time, but this one-shot is a stand alone. The reason I did that was because Esme in this story is not the same Esme I wrote in Breaking the Rules, and the discipline dynamic is entirely different in this story. In this story, spanking is a rarity. Even Carlisle stays away from it most of the time. So read this story as if you never read my other two. That way the two Esmes I have written will not conflict. Thanks.

and finally: Constructive, positive or negative feedback is always welcomed! This applies to my NEW and normal reviewers and fans (with or without fanfiction accounts...including those who wish to leave a constructive anonymous review) who want to leave constructive criticism. I don't have a problem with you guys leaving your honest, heart felt feedback. I WANT you to do that.I encourage you to do that, even if you don't agree or particularly like what I have written. Your feedback invokes deeper thought and I find it to be very useful when I'm writing. It means a lot to me that you would first take the time to read something I have written, and then take the time to leave comments that will help me build a better story. Don't ever think that you cannot be truthful with me. If you don't like it, tell me, but also tell me how I can improve on the story and why you feel that way, or why you don't like the story. That makes writing these stories better for me and for you as the reader. Writing fanfiction is fun and I want to continue delivering material that people actually enjoy and want to read. So go ahead and be honest and _ignore_ the rest of what I'm about to say.

Alright to everyone else...All flames will be TOTALLY ignored...T...TOTALLY AND DELETED! Let me go ahead and tell you up front...I DON'T CARE IF YOU THINK THIS IS WRONG, SICK, DISGUSTING, ETC! What does that make you for reading? SICKER! Yeah, I said it. That makes YOU the creep for seeking out stories THAT you think involves "child abuse!" Hmmmmm...Maybe you need to rethink YOUR motives for reading this story or others like it and seek help! If you feel that way, maybe YOU have even _more_ disgusting desires than the FICTION in this story or on this site. IT'S FANFICTION! NOT FREAKING REAL LIFE! Again, as I have warned in the summaries and at the BEGINNING of each chapter, if you don't like this type of fanfiction, get the hell outta here! And lastly... Don't punk out and leave an anonymous review. If you're going to be bold enough to leave a flame, sign your name to it so the playing field is even...I would so LOVE for you to do that! Then author's notes like this would be completely unnecessary!

Now that we got that out of the way, carry on.

Esme's POV

It was almost time for my children to come home from school, so I decided to put away that last load of laundry that I'd walked past four times already. I knew that if I didn't, the boys would plunder through the basket for their clothes and then drag the girls' clothes wherever they landed, which would probably lead to a major fight…especially where Alice was concerned. She did not appreciate any disturbance of her clothes and that was final. She barely allowed me to touch them, but never complained because she understood that meant she would end up doing her own laundry. I usually didn't even have to bother with her laundry at all because she rarely wore the same thing twice. She truly had a clothing fetish.

The majority of the laundry belonged to my beautiful daughter Rosalie because she _rarely_ touched a load of laundry. It was my fault that she was ruined, but she was my girl and I enjoyed spoiling her as much as I did the rest of my children. I was so blessed to have her in my life. Ever since the day Carlisle changed her, I had always welcomed her into my heart. She was not my adoptive child, she was _mine_, and I wouldn't trade her for the world…despite her ways.

The love I had for her was immeasurable, but there was no doubt that at times she could really get under my skin with her hateful ways. She could be quite mean when she wanted to be. Carlisle and I have had to be _really_ patient with her, always keeping in mind that she was trapped in the body of a teenage girl with arrested development. We mutually guessed that she was probably changed right before her menstrual cycle as she was _always_ in a constant state of moodiness.

I walked into the bedroom that she shared with my son, Emmett, and nearly fainted. I just could not believe that those children, my children, lived liked slobs. I was so grateful that they did not consume human food. I probably would never go into their rooms if they did. Their father and I constantly had to get on to them about the condition of their bedroom. They would say they were cleaning, but they were actually piling clothes and debris in the closets and under the bed. It was a shame and a disgrace, totally unbecoming of a young woman. In my day, I would have received a lashing for such slothfulness.

I walked to Rose's closet to grab some hangers, and I noticed something very familiar in there. It was a gown that Carlisle had given to me for my 'birthday.' We celebrated birthdays completely differently from the way humans celebrated theirs. We celebrated the day each of us was transformed to our new life. For our children Alice and Jazz, who didn't know the exact date they were changed, we celebrated the day they joined our family. It was always a big deal.

While on a business trip to Assam, India, Carlisle had hand selected a beautiful, one-hundred percent, wild silk fabric, made from a special race of wild silk worms called "Muga" for a gown that he planned to have made for me. The fabric was truly one of the world's finest silk treasures. The natural, shimmery, golden color of the rare, wild silk needed no dye to enhance its exquisite beauty. It was woven on foot-powered, hand operated looms, which created a subtle unevenness. To say that it was a beauty to behold was an understatement. It was absolutely exceptional.

He had a seamstress in Assam hand sew the most beautiful evening gown that I'd ever seen in my life custom made for me. When he came home from his trip, he'd hid it from me, and on my birthday he had presented it to me along with a beautiful set of pearl earrings and the matching necklace. Of course, the hopeless romantic that he was, he had a fairy tale evening planned…let's just say the day ended with several happy endings.

I treasured that gown, and the next day I took it to the dry cleaners to have it cleaned and specially treated. My angel Rosalie was with me when I left the dress at the cleaners and couldn't stop talking about how beautiful that dress was and how gorgeous she would look in it. She went on and on, and I knew she was trying to ask me if she could borrow it. When she'd finally asked me, I flat out told her "no." She pouted, but she knew I meant business. That dress was not made for her. It was my gift, hand selected for me by my darling husband, and she wasn't going to ruin it.

Well...

I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened that closet. I admit that it had been a few months since I'd worn it, but it should _not_ have been stuffed haphazardly in the back of Rose's filthy, untidy closet. I gasped and panted as I reached in the closet and removed the dress. The fabric was absolutely ruined. It had a three inch split in the back at the base of the zipper which caused the material to stretch and unravel. There was also a red wine stain on the bosom. The material was wrinkled and just looked like garbage.

While I could still see the beauty of the dress because every inch of inch of it screamed of Carlisle's love and careful attention to detail, I couldn't help but to allow the venom-tears in my eyes to spill over. We vampires never cried, but according to Carlisle when we were experiencing extreme emotions, venom would become surrogate tears for us. Right now, my surrogates were completely covering my face.

I clutched my beautiful, damaged dressed to my chest, desperately squeezing the remainder of Carlisle's love out of it. How could Rose have done this? She knew what that dress meant to me. She'd deliberately disobeyed me before, but to do something like that to something she knew I valued…there were no words to describe my hurt…or my anger.

I sniffed the dress. It had Rose's scent all over it, as well as the scent of cigarette smoke and alcohol. Since I knew Rose didn't smoke, that could only mean one thing. She wore my expensive gown to go dancing at some lounge! I could feel my wrath mounting. She was going to have to answer for herself as soon as she came back to the house.

I heard Rose's car pulling into the driveway. I left her laundry on the bed, took my dress, and left the room. I headed straight for my bedroom to collect myself. I was hurt, but I was also very angry. I knew that I would say or do something that could truly harm my daughter if I didn't calm down first. It wasn't long before I heard them filing into the kitchen, conversing about the latest happenings at school. I sat on my bed and examined the dress more closely. For the love of God! She'd even managed to smear makeup on it and it looked like her perfume or lotion had stained it as well. She was definitely _not_ getting off the hook for doing that to my dress!

The kids gathered in the family room around the television, their X-Box, the piano, and of course, the mirror in the bathroom. They knew I was home because they could hear and smell me in the house without me having to make a move. I guessed they didn't want to disturb me. Maybe they thought I was 'resting' or something. It was probably just wishful thinking on my part.

About thirty minutes after they came home, I heard Edward calling me. "Mama, where are you?" He was my youngest son. I loved him dearly, and though he was not biologically mine or his father's, he reminded me so much of Carlisle in many ways. He was close to his father, but he was my baby.

"I'm up here, baby. What do you need?" My children were always needing or wanting _something_. They were spoiled, but very good kids. Well…most of the time. "What is it, Edward?'"

"I need you to help me with my project for school." That was my job. To be the mom while Carlisle worked long, hard hours at the hospital, and to be his wife when he came home. I took much pleasure in designing my architecture projects, but I mostly enjoyed my role as a wife and a mother. Being a mom was a hard job…_especially_ to five teenage vampires. There were many days I just didn't know what to, and sometimes I would call Carlisle at work crying. He would calm me and reassure me that I was a great mother and wife, and he would make everything alright in my world again with just a few soft spoken words of encouragement.

Today was one of those days I needed him to do that. I would have called him…I should have called him…I needed advice on how to deal with my situation with Rose. But I didn't call him. I refused to be _that_ woman today. Rose was _my_ child. I was her _mother_. I would deal with this as Rose's mother…not as Carlisle's wife.

"Give me a minute, sweetheart." I called to him. I knew he wanted help with the monument he was erecting for his design class. I really wasn't in the mood, but I knew he needed me.

"Mom!"

"Yes, Emmett." I answered softly. Ugh! I knew that any hopes of calming myself further by staying in my room were futile. I would have to come out eventually, or my children would drive me crazy. I laid the dress on the bed and walked to the door and opened it. "Yes, baby, what is it?" If it were possible, I would probably have a migraine right now.

"Mom, I need for you to make the bear claws so I can take them to the senior-class party tomorrow."

We didn't consume human food at all, but we kept food in the house for our human visitors and for the sake of appearances. We lived among humans, so we had to act human. It was not uncommon for Carlisle or I to have friends or colleagues come over. Then there was Bella, Edward's human girlfriend. We always kept food around for her.

Emmett had been reminding me all week that he needed some snacks to take to his school party. Why the boy couldn't bake his own food was beyond my comprehension! He could even go two miles down the street to the local grocer and buy something! On any day but today, I wouldn't have minded helping him at all, but Rosalie had infuriated me by damaging my dress, and that was all I could think about…about her total outright disrespect for me.

"We don't sleep, Em. We have plenty of time to do that before you leave for school tomorrow. You do need to go to the store though, because we don't have everything we need to make them."

Ever since my son was mauled by a bear, he was infatuated with them…with anything that gave him the upper hand over them. In the case with the bear claws, he would eat them, even though he would throw them up later. Carlisle would get on to him about it, but Emmett didn't care as long as he beat the bear.

"Okay, Mom." He said, switching off his X-box and the TV. "You guys wanna go with me?" He asked my other kids.

"Sure thing, Em." Jazz hopped up from the couch in one graceful move and pulled Alice up with him. The minute I reached the bottom of the stairs, he gave me a pained look. He was feeling my anger and my hurt. I swiftly calmed myself so I wouldn't cause him any more pain. The only child that should feel any kind of pain was that blonde goddess standing next to Emmett. "Everything okay, Mama?"

They all looked at me, and immediately felt Jazz's influx. Edward instantly came to my side. "Mama?" He spoke softly, those sweet topaz eyes melting my heart. Carlisle had taught me how to block my thoughts from him, and that was what I'd been doing since they came home. I didn't want him to intercept my thoughts about Rose.

I pulled myself together and refused to cry. "I'm fine, baby. Why don't you guys go to the store before it gets too late? Then we can work on your project when you get back." I told him, stroking his boyish face. He looked at me, obviously confused as to why I as blocking him. I turned him towards the door. "Go on now."

Alice, my sweet daughter, was the _one_ child I couldn't hide anything from. She could see the future and I was pretty sure she'd seen every bit of this and what was to come. She came over to me quietly and hugged me. I was still guarding my thoughts to protect Edward, and was keeping my emotions at a minimum to buffer Jazz. Though I tried to shield them, Alice gave them access to _her _mind and _her _emotions. I couldn't stand to see my children hurting. Alice didn't say a word, but her eyes told it all. She was trying to communicate her sadness to me without words.

Emmett and Jazz followed her lead and came over, offering hugs and kisses. I smiled and hugged them back. It was not strange to me that the only child who sensed something was wrong and _didn't_ try to comfort me was Rosalie. She just stood off to the side watching me. I had a feeling she knew I'd found the dress.

"Okay, Mama," That was my baby. He was so overprotective of me. He was as bad as his father. Carlisle taught him to be that way...to take care of me in his absence. "Call me if you need me."

I smiled lovingly at him. Carlisle would be proud. "I'll be fine, Edward. Don't forget to go by the hardware store and pick up silver, metallic paint, number one, for your monument."

He nodded, still trying to break through the block I had on my thoughts. "Yes, Ma'am." He said humbly. He was a very meek child…always so soft spoken. "Do you need anything else, Mama?"

"No sweetheart." _Edward I need to speak to Rosalie alone for a while. Can you make sure that you all give us a little time before you return? _I momentarily lifted the block so I could communicate with him privately. He nodded, and tried to get to the bottom of my distress. I instantly put the mental barricade back up.

The five of them turned to head out the door, baffled as to what had me so upset.

"Rosalie, if you don't mind, can you please stay?" I asked, my voice firm and steady.

She looked like I had just slapped her. The other children looked at Rose, silently questioning what she could have done this time. I was sure that Edward had already been intercepting Alice's and Rose's thoughts, but he must have caught something different in her mind. He instantly looked at me and frowned. Understanding painted his face as he finally understood why I was so upset. _It's okay, sweet boy. I'm okay. Don't worry._

"Why do you need me to stay, Mama?" Rose asked, obviously nervous by then.

"Because I'm asking you to, Rose." I spoke calmly. "That's why."

"But I want to go with them. Can't you talk to me when I get back?" She whined. I knew she was trying to avoid my wrath. There was no doubting now. She knew I had found the dress.

I ignored her protest. I looked at my other four children. Emmett was completely confused, and was poised to protect Rose if needed. I smiled at him. "Emmy, go on with your brothers and sister and get whatever you need. Here's the list for the bear claws. Edward, here's my debit card. Take what you need." I tried to hand him the items that I had just retrieved from my wallet. I knew better than to give my debit card to Emmett. He'd spend everything in my account. Jazz, however, was just as trustworthy as Edward was.

"It's alright, Mama, I got it." Edward said softly. He was always trying to be responsible and handle his own affairs, so I didn't bother arguing with him.

"Very well then. I'll see you all when you get back." I put the debit card back into my wallet, and he took the grocery list from my hand.

Emmett looked past my smile straight to Rosalie. He was desperately trying to decipher what was happening. She looked like a goldfish on the beach. Pale and breathless…literally. She was shaking, terrified of being left alone with me. She knew I was upset.

"Rose, what's going on?" Emmett asked, still unsure if he should go or not.

"I don't know." She lied. "Mama, can I just go already?"

"Emmett, sweetheart, there is no need to worry. Please do as I have asked, son. Edward and Alice will fill you in." I looked at them and they nodded in affirmation.

There was a low rumbling sound from Rose. She didn't like the fact that everyone would know her secret and why I'd asked her to stay.

"Yes, Ma'am." He said reluctantly, still looking at Rose as if asking, 'what did you do?' "We'll be back after a while then."

"Okay. Be careful, and I love you."

"Love you too, Mama." They said and went out the door.

I turned to face my daughter with my arms crossed over my chest. I stared boldly at her and did not blink. She fidgeted and had trouble looking me in the eyes. Those beautiful blond ringlets fell over her face as she bowed her head in shame.

"Rose, look at me." I commanded. _Oh_...that spoiled little princesses was going to look me in my face and acknowledge what she'd done.

She raised her head slowly. She shifted her weight from foot to foot. She was trying to steady her hands but ended up wringing them together.

We remained silent and I just stood there glaring at her. She was dissolving under the intensity of my eyes. She knew I was hot. Finally after a few minutes of that, her lips started to quiver and her eyes glazed over. I seemed to tower over my daughter, a thin size 4, who was afraid.

"Come with me, Rosalie." I spun on my heels and went back upstairs to my bedroom. She crossed her arms over her chest, and slowly followed me upstairs. She was as quiet as a church mouse as we entered Carlisle's and my bedroom. She froze when she saw me go over to the bed and pick up the dress. I went to my closet and retrieved a hanger. I slipped the dress on the hanger and held it up for her to see.

"Does this look familiar to you, Rosalie?" I asked rhetorically. She still had her arms crossed over her chest and I heard her gulp. Her eyes were still glazed by venom as the realization that the dress had been discovered settled over her.

"You have about a second to answer for yourself young lady."

She swiped away at some tears that managed to escape her eyes. "Yes, Ma'am." She said in a mousy voice.

"What is this, Rose?" I asked still holding the dress in her face.

She swallowed again. "Your dress." She whimpered. I could barely hear her and there wasn't anything wrong with my hearing.

"Rose, please speak louder." I requested, fighting to keep from snatching her.

She cleared her throat. "That's the dress that Daddy gave you for your birthday."

I stepped closer to her and put the dress closer to her face, where she could see the makeup and stains on the front. "What do you see here, Rosalie?"

She swiped more tears. Her voice was shaky as she spoke. He lips quivered and her mascara began to run. "Make…" She cleared her throat again. "Make-up and…and wine."

"Hmmm…" I took a deep, very necessary breath at that moment. I was trying hard to relax to keep from snapping. I turned the dress around so she could see the rip in the back. I nearly lost it when I reassessed the damage. "…and what's this?"

She knew she was roasted. "Mama that was an accident!" She blurted.

"That is not what I asked you, Rosalie Hale." I hissed. She retracted, and stepped back a little.

"It's ripped, Mama, but please, just let me explain."

"What part are you going to explain Rose? The part where you deliberately disobeyed me and went into my personal space and took my dress, after I told you that you could not borrow it! OR are you going to explain the part where you wore it to a club where you stained it and ruined it? Or wait! Maybe you're going to explain the part where you hid it in the back of your closet in a pathetic effort to hide it from me!"

Big tears fell down her face. Mine was dry, but I was fuming. "Mama, I was going to pay for the dress. I was going to tell you. I promise."

"Exactly when were you going to do that Rosalie? Before or after it was wrinkled behind all that garbage in your closet. It's a good thing I was looking for hangers to hang up your laundry. I might not have discovered this for quite some time."

I paused and bowed my head, rubbing it to further calm myself. Willing calmness to overtake me, I continued to scold my wayward daughter. "Rosalie, you knew how much this dress meant to me. You knew it was special. Why would you do this? Why would you hurt me like this?"

She was crying harder now, making gurgling noises. I was too upset to allow myself to feel sorry for her. She'd ruined something precious to me and I was having a hard time forgiving her for it.

"Answer me, Rose."

"Mama," she sniffed and gurgled again. "I'm sorry. I didn't…I didn't mean to ruin your dress. It ripped when I tried to get into the car on the way home. I was going to take it back to the cleaners to have it repaired."

I shook my head at her. "Here." I hand her the dress. She wiped her nose and eyes with her hands, shaking her head 'no.' "Take it. You wanted it. You've ruined it for me. You may have it now."

"No, Mama. It can be fixed." She cried.

"Rose! This is rare silk, sweetheart! You can't fix the damage you've caused. It's permanently ruined. The stains will never be removable." I relaxed my arm and threw the dress back on the bed. "You had no right to do what you did. You can't fix my broken heart. It's the matters of my heart that cannot be repaired. That's what I'm trying to get you to understand!"

All she could do was stare at me with her messy face. "I'm sorry, Mama."

I put my hands on my hips, and shook my head. As much as I hated to punish her, I knew it had to be done. She needed to learn to respect other's personal belongings as well as the person.

"What you did was wrong, Rosalie Hale, and completely intolerable and unacceptable. Your father gave me that dress because he wanted _me_ to have it…not you. What you did was disrespectful and hurtful, and I am very disappointed that you thought so little of me."

She sobbed harder.

I waited and inhaled again. I slowly exhaled, listening to her crying. As her mother, I knew that she was partly sorry for taking the dress, but mostly sorry for getting caught. Securing my resolve, I walked past her to Carlisle's closet and found the belt he'd made for disciplining the children. Because I had suffered at the hands of my abusive husband, I tried to avoid hitting my childen at all costs; however, I was not repelled by it at all. Even though I had been a victim of domestic violence, I was reared in a house where corporal punishment was the normal thing to do when a child misbehaved. It was certainly not foreign to me, and long before Charles, I had received a few lashings from my parents. While I didn't like to whip my children, I didn't hesitate to do so if I had to. _Every_ one of them understood that I loved them and would go to hell and back for them, but I was not going to allow them to run all over me.

I _rarely_ whipped any of my children…_rarely_. I usually saved that for severe infractions…like this instance. Carlisle usually dished out the punishment, but mostly just grounding them or taking something from them. I could only remember very few times that either of us had spanked our children. We tried to give them space to live as adults, to be mature, and make responsible decisions about their lives. But sometimes, as in this case, they just needed a good ass whipping.

The belt was designed not to break on tough vampire skin. Carlisle had learned the technique of making the belts when he served on the Volturi court. They were sturdy and durable, designed to stay the course. Our children knew that if that belt came out of the closet, it was not going to end well for them.

Rose's eyes were stretched so wide, I thought they would pop out. She immediately started shaking and looked as if she was considering running. I closed the door as I passed it on my way back to her. She was crying so hard, I thought she would go into shock. She was terrified.

"Mama, I said I was sorry."

I was resolved to do this. "I don't want to hear it, Rose." I was standing in front of her again, this time with the belt in my hands. "You know better than to do what you did."

She choked on venom and started wringing her hands again. "I'll fix it, Mama. I promised. I'll pay for it."

I shook my head. "That's not good, enough. How many times have I asked you not to take my things without my permission? How many times have we had a discussion about you deliberately disobeying me?" She was still crying and couldn't maintain control of herself. "I know you see the error in what you've done Rosalie, so I won't waste time with trying to help you understand that. This is not the first time we've been through something like this. I am sick and tired of going through this with you."

I moved closer to her and her legs started wobbling in time with my quick movement. "Ma-Mama…I don't…" She sniffled. "I don't want a whipping. Please. I won't do it again."

As much as I wanted to put the belt back and let her walk away with a simple grounding, I couldn't. Taking that dress was big no-no. It wasn't even about the dress. It was about her total disregard for something that was dear to my heart. It was about her total disrespect for my position in this house and as her mother. I couldn't let her get off that easily.

"Come over here to this bed Rose."

She shook her head 'no.' I knew this was going to be a fight. "Rose, I am not playing games with you. If I have to ask you again, your whipping will be worse."

Bless her soul; the child shook her head 'no' again. I began slowly counting to myself to defy the anger that began rising in me. I took deliberate, functional breaths and repeated my calming mantra over and over in my head. I didn't waste any more time asking her to come or fighting with her. I blurred over to her so quickly and unexpectedly, she didn't have time to blink.

I grabbed her by both of her wrists and pulled her towards me. She immediately started flailing and pulling against me. There was no way I was having any of that. I stopped and she fell to the floor, her legs exposed. Still holding on to her wrists, I flipped her over so I could reach her backside. It was then that I brought fire to her behind with that belt. I landed four strikes straight to her buttocks. She let out a loud yelp and began squirming on the floor, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm not going tolerate you carrying on like this, Rose. This is not how this is going to go." I tightened my grip on her arms and she knew she was locked. She couldn't go anywhere. "Either you will get up and bend over the bed like I asked, or I am going to wear you out right here. Take your pick."

She ripped my heart when she started begging and pleading for me not to hit her again. I wanted to stop so badly, but I strengthened my will to carry out her punishment.

"I don't wanna, whippin' Mama. Pleease… I'm sorry about your dress. Please don't whip me…please!" She pleaded over and over again, completing the damage that had already been done to my heart.

"Get up, Rose." I ordered firmly.

She kept trying to get out of my grasp, defying my request for her to submit and bend over the bed to accept her just punishment. I brought the belt down again, this time quicker and harder. The belt landed on her thighs at first and when she felt the sting of it, she flipped so the pain was on her backside again. Seeing that she wasn't going to do as I asked, I lit her fire. I _wore_ her behind out good with that belt while she kicked and screamed. Oh, I could have pulled her up and forced her to the bed, but dammit she was going to get up on her own! She was _not_ going to show me that she was the boss. The more she resisted, the more I spanked her behind.

"Get up, Rose." This time I only had to say it once. Her backside was flaming, I made sure of that. Her face was a mess, but mine was dry. She knew she was in bad company with me right then, and at this point I was not up for games out of her. As she stood, I began whipping her butt again. She skirted over to the bed, trying to maneuver her backside out of the way.

"When I tell you to do something, dammit that is what I mean." I began my lecture, all the while lighting in to her, still very much in control of myself. "I am tired of your disrespectful ways, and you being hardheaded all the time."

"Yes, Ma'am." She cried and snorted, venom every where on her face. "Okay, Mama. Okay…okay."

I slowed the belt, and hit harder now. "Turn around and bend over the bed, like I told you to do."

She immediately obeyed and when she did, I lifted her skirt and landed several more licks, the hardest yet to her behind that was still covered by her panties. After those last few licks I lowered her skirt and ended the whipping.

She was sobbing ferociously. When I say I tore that ass up, that's exactly what I did. She was not going to be sitting comfortably for a few days.

"Rose, what you did to my dress was incorrigible." I spoke through her tears. I was yet to shed one though my heart cried along with her. It was painful to watch my baby girl crying and squirming on my bed. "I have nothing else to say about that damn dress, but I will tell you this. If you ever…"

She was crying uncontrollably. She dropped her head so she wouldn't have to look at me. I grasped her chin and pulled her back up and looked her square in the eyes.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you."

She didn't budge or blink.

"If you ever, ever disrespect me like that again, you won't be able to sit for a long time! Do you understand me?"

She nodded her head 'yes.' She coughed and pulled her arms over chest as she wiggled on the bed. Sitting was excruciating for her. She still didn't take her eyes off of me. She _knew_ I wasn't playing with her. I was calm as I walked over to the closet to return the belt to its proper place. She was still sitting on my bed, waiting for permission to leave. I even heard her ask for her daddy who was still at work. I wanted to comfort her so badly, but I couldn't right then. I just need to let her be for a while, and then I would return and we could talk things through.

I was starting to lose it as I watched and listened to my baby crying on the bed, holding herself tightly. I felt my insides knot up for what I'd done to her, but I loved her too much to regret it. The room was soon hidden by the haze that covered my own eyes. I walked toward the door and left her sitting on the bed to think about what she'd done. Next to her was the dress…_my dress_…that she'd ruined. I stepped out into the hall and gently closed the door behind me.

I mimicked her movements and wrapped my arms over my chest, squeezing myself tightly as well. I bowed my head and let tears fall from my eyes as I hurt for my baby who was on the other side of my bedroom door. I didn't make a noise.

I was so caught up in my heartache that I didn't notice that Carlisle had come up the stairs. He gently pulled me into his arms while I wondered when he had come home. Surely he had heard me whipping Rose. There was no way the sound of that belt wasn't resonating throughout the entire house. Of course, he wouldn't have interfered while I was punishing our daughter. He knew I would never do that to any of the kids unless something serious had happened. He trusted my judgment and my ability to mother my children. He knew I always had their best interests at heart, and would never intentionally harm them.

He didn't speak as I laced my arms around him, shedding quiet tears. He began gently swaying me from side to side and pulled me tighter to him. He lovingly stroked my hair and gave me space to cry it out. He knew I was hurting.

After several minutes had passed, I calmed down and pulled away from him. He reached out and stroked my hair and my face with his hand. So tender…so kind. His eyes were full of understanding, compassion, and infinite love. There was no judgment in them. I knew this man loved me. I knew he loved our children. More importantly, he knew I loved him and our children more than my own life.

"How much…" I started and choked on venom that had collected in my throat.

He put his finger to my lips. "All of it. I heard you up here, so I politely took a seat _on the couch_." He smiled. "Mmm...it was wise to keep _my _rear end out of _that_ fire!" Venom-tears spilled from my eyes and he rubbed my lips with his thumb. He sighed. "What matters now is that I love you and my Rosie...two of my favorite girls..." With a smile that would steal Aphrodite's heart, he brushed a lock of hair out of my face. "...and I know you two love each other."

"Carlisle I love her more than I love myself." I was almost murmuring. "I hated doing that to her."

"I know, baby. I know." He held my face between his hands, and massaged my heart with feather-light kisses that caressed my lips. "Why don't you let me go in and sit with her for a while, and you go relax. You should go hunt and it will help ease your mind about all of this. Then when things settle, the two of can talk about what happened."

"I don't want to leave her, Carlisle. She needs me now. I need to comfort her."

"I understand that, sweetheart, and if the child in there were Edward, I would say fine. But your comfort will be better received if you give her some time." He continued to caress my face with his hands, and my mind with his heart. "Let me talk to her first."

I nodded again and managed a very feeble smile. "Okay. Whatever you think is best, dear. Besides, she's already said, _"I want my Daddy."_

I rolled my eyes and he chuckled softly, pulling my waist closer to his. "After _that_ one, I'll bet she has."

"I love you." I hugged him.

"Remind me to stay on your good side." He joked and reciprocated the hug. "I love you too, Sweetheart. Don't beat yourself up. She deserved that one." He smiled again. "I ought to tear her behind up again for destroying that dress. That thing cost me a fortune."

I shook my head, rolling my eyes again. Carlisle Cullen was quite responsible with his finances, and we never worried about money. I could only assume that a dress like that must have cost him at least four or five grand...at least, if not more. He had every right to be angry as well, but he wasn't. That was just Carlisle. He cared more about us than his wealth. Material possessions were just objects to him and he didn't worship them. If he really wanted to, he could have that same dress sewn and delivered to me in a few days. Yes...he had it like that!

"I think she'd got the message." I said, pulling back from him.

"You sure?" He winked at me playfully, trying to soften my mood. He wasn't going to touch his _princess_. The one time he spanked Alice for back-talking him, he secretly cried and sulked for two days. I mean really...he only gave her four or five very hard swats with his hand. He had spun her around and landed them on her butt before she had time to see them coming. He didn't even make her go over his lap _or _the bed for Christ's sake! She was more embarassed that he did it in the kitchen in front of all of us. I was _so_ glad when they kissed and made up!

I shook my head at him. "Just promise me you'll make sure she's okay."

"Scout's honor." He promised. "I'll take care of my little angel."

I couldn't help rolling my eyes again. "She's your _little angel _alright."

He laughed softly, flashing those perfect white teeth at me. He was truly an incredibly handsome man, and I was fortunate to have him. He kissed me again on my lips. "Rosie was wrong and long overdue for a good belting; _however_, she's still my baby girl."

"That's what's wrong with her now. She's spoiled by her daddy."

"Me?" He gripped my hips tighter. He was enjoying the contact. "I think her mother may have a hand in that as well."

I shook my head. "Not at all. That's _all _you, dear."

"Hmmm...you've never been good at lying." He smiled. "Anyway, don't worry about your dress, sweetheart. Without you in it, it's like mere cotton. _You, _my astonishing queen, brought sheer exquisiteness to that gown. I will buy you another one if that would erase the pain from your heart.'

His words brought more tears from my eyes. I bit my lip to control the sobs that tried to escape them. "I just need for my child to know that I love her, and to know that she's okay now."

He drew me into a tender hug. "Come here." I buried my face in his chest. "Everything will be okay. She loves you, Esme. A whipping doesn't change that."

I remained silent as I listened to his comforting words. After several minutes, I backed away from him. I reached to wipe the venom from my face, but he beat me to it.

"Go hunting, sweetheart." I shook my head in agreement. "You will feel much better."

"Okay." I wiped my eyes again and sniffled. "The..." I swiped again. "The other kids will be home soon. I sent them on a couple of errands."

"Okay, baby. Why don't you hunt near our meadow, and when I finished here, I'll come find you." He brushed a stray hair out of my eyes. "How does that sound?"

I nodded again. "Okay, dear."

He kissed my lips, pain in his eyes. "It breaks my heart to see you cry. Wait for me there and I'll help make it better."

"Okay."

After one final kiss, I reluctantly headed back down the hall that led to the steps. I turned to him just as he opened the door to our bedroom. He looked at me and mouthed the words, "everything will be okay," and gave me the okay symbol with his hands. I smiled as he went inside, shutting the door behind him. The last words I heard before I descended were, _"Da-ddy," _as Carlisle approached our daughter, and in his latent English accent,_ "Come here baby. It's alright. Daddy's here." _It sounded as if they were lying on our bed.

Carlisle would take care of her. I trusted him to do that, and later when I would finally go up to her, I could take my baby girl in _my_ arms and reassure her that all was forgiven and that she was more beautiful and more priceless than that dress. I would give her my love and stay with her for as long as she needed me. I would reaffirm that she was my rare silk and that there was no earthly treasure more precious than she was. Regarding matters of the heart…she would always be in my heart. I loved her dearly.

A/N: In the words of Jasper Whitlock, "Ah betcha didn't see dat one comin!" Poor Rose. She deserved that whipping for what she did though. I am glad that Esme can show her children that she loves them, but also that she is not a pushover. This is my first Esme discipline fic…I usually write where Esme is opposed to corporal punishment. This time I wanted to show a different Esme. Oh, and since you know Carlisle is my number husband/daddy, WASN'T HE SWEET? Smiles!

Reviews are like Muga silk…exquisite…so tell me what you think.


End file.
